


Another Time, Another Story

by silveradept



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Kairi Wields A Keyblade in KH1, Alternate Universe - Sora isn't restored by Kairi during KH1, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-05
Updated: 2019-09-05
Packaged: 2020-11-01 22:37:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20530676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silveradept/pseuds/silveradept
Summary: Xehanort won, but Sora is willing to give himself up to give them another shot, and it starts with getting Kairi trained earlier.





	Another Time, Another Story

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Serie11](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Serie11/gifts).

Some things were familiar, even at the end of everything. The long featureless plane of the Final World provided the background he had never seen when traversing the Station of Awakening before.

_Only those that know the future intend to change the past_, Xehanort's voice boomed all around him. _Who are you to believe you can interfere with destiny?_

"Sora," he said simply. "My friends are my strength. And I will stop you with them."

_You cannot stop what is prophecied_, said a new voice. _To do so invites a greater disaster than the Keyblade Wars_.

"We'll fight it, and we'll win."

_Destiny does not take well to defiance_, Naminé's voice floated in, faintly amused. _But it can sometimes be altered from its path. Change the order of the links, and sometimes the results are different. It worked for you, anyway. It might be a little harder for them._

With a flash, the darkness peeled away from the floor of the station, showing Kairi and Naminé together, holding hands. He knew that Naminé was working through her own past and the links forged to see if she could bring any more help to the fight they had just been in, but Sora wasn't sure that would be enough to stop Xehanort.

_Changing the links always has consequences. Are you willing to lose your memories to save your friends?_ Naminé asked. 

"Yes," Sora said, nodding, taking the stairs to the next Station. "Even if it means they don't know who I am, if they beat Xehanort, it'll be worth it."

_I wouldn't go throwing my life away that easily,_ Xion grumbled, as Sora arrived on the next station. The glass in the floor looked like the Sea Salt Trio, except Sora was in Axel's place, wearing the black coat used to travel in the Corridors of Darkness without consequences, holding hands with Xion and Roxas. _I've tried it a few times, and it never ends well._

_Typical Sora,_ Roxas added. _Always leading with his heart before his head_.

"And you both would know something about that, wouldn't you?" Sora remarked.

_To time travel, you have to separate the heart from the body_, Xion shot back. _It's not pleasant to do._

_Are you willing to sacrifice your body to save your friends?_ Xion and Roxas asked together.

"Of course I am," Sora said. "My friends deserve to live in the world they have helped save."

Only the stairs to the next Station answered him.

The floor there showed Sora in the center of the glass. Around him were all the people he had connected to over his adventures, both as allies and enemies. A pulsing red string flowed from his heart to their portraits on the edge. Some of the strings were thicker and brighter than the others.

_Sora is at the core of so many things,_ King Mickey's voice declared. _If he disappears, does it all fall apart, or does something greater forge itself in his absence?_

_We could ask him, if he can hear us_, Kairi's voice replied. _Are you willing to give up your heart to save your friends?_

Sora faltered. Could be do that? Could he erase himself entirely if it meant his friends would have the chance to survive and win? This was different than diving into their hearts to help them. He could change things so that he never existed, or never got to exist again. But if he didn't, his friends wouldn't exist, either, and that was a bigger tragedy.

"Yes," he said. "I've nearly done it so many times before I knew what I was doing. And, I suppose, I've already done it at least once. I guess I always knew that if I needed to, I'd give up my heart. It always belonged to Kairi, anyway."

"Then, follow me," said a Chirithy Sora was sure hadn't existed until that point. "There is one specific point in your timeline where it looks like you can do the most good toward creating an outcome where Xehanort is defeated and all of your friends, and maybe even yourself, live."

* * *

Kairi scanned the increasing horde of Heartless. One of them had to be Sora, but she couldn't tell which one! Why had he done such a phenomenally stupid thing as stabbing himself. Yes, it brought her back to her body when her heart reunited, but now he was gone and she didn't have anything to defend herself with. He should have known what Keyblades could do!

_I do,_ Sora's voice said in her head. _You do, as well. Don't worry too much about it. You have to survive._

Kairi felt a weight in her hand. Looking down, she saw a Keyblade. She didn't known how to manifest them. It was an itch in the back of her head every time she saw Sora with his, but she hasn't unlocked whatever frame of mind she had needed to create one of her own.

One of the Shadows jumped at her. She reacted, swinging the Keyblade and slicing through the Heartless with ease.

"I've never done this before," she said, cutting through another Shadow as it leapt at her.

_I'm helping,_ Sora said. _Once we're out of danger, I'll show you how to call your own._

With Sora's guidance and help, Kairi carved hey way through the Heartless horde, hesitantly at first, then with greater confidence as she realized Sora was helping her less and less each time she swung.

_Make sure you get every last one of them_, Sora urged. 

"Why?"

_If I'm going to get myself put back together, you'll have to defeat the Heartless that was created from me, and then we'll have to convince Roxas to abandon the Organization—_

"One's getting away!"

_Point your Keyblade at it and call the lightning down on it_.

When Kairi's ears stopped ringing, she looked around for any other Shadows. Satisfied the danger had passed, the Keyblade disappeared.

_Sorry about that. I forgot that you have a much better connection to the magic than I do._

"Who are you, really?"

_I'm Sora. From the future. Things didn't go so well for me in my timeline. This time around, you're probably the one who should take the Mark of Mastery with Riku. Once we rescue him here, he can help you train how to use your Keyblade. He's really good._

"This doesn't make any sense at all."

_I know, but for the moment, would you please trust me? We really need Riku if this plan is going to work at all._

"…for now. You did help me with those Heartless. If you really want to be useful, though, help me get out of here."

Kairi heard Sora chuckle.

_Sure. The door we need has switches hidden throughout the castle. If we get close to one, I'll remember it's there. I hope._

Kairi shook her head. "I still don't trust you, voice in my head. You're going to have to prove you're not a trick or an evil spell."

_I know. If we had actually shared that paopu fruit on the islands, this would probably be easier. What I can say is that you should expect some really weird dreams when you go to sleep tonight._.

Kairi shook her head. "That's not helping."

Kairi got the distinct impression Sora was shrugging.

_Find Riku. Then, maybe, Master Yen Sid can sort out all out. Can we go that far?_

"We can go that far," Kairi said.

_Thank you._ Kairi felt Sora's smile, warm and a little bit embarrassed about something. If it was Sora's crush, she already knew about that.

And of this Sora really was from the future, then they would do better this time. Both in fighting and, when the time was right, in talking.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope this works for you! It's a blend of a couple of your prompts that I hope goes in an exciting direction for you.


End file.
